Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

The 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on Monday. This 11-day festival brings together over 200 films from 50 countries.

IFFI kicked-off with veteran actress Waheeda Rahman inaugurating the festival along along with I&B minister Ambika Soni. Actors Asin and Nana Patekar were also present at the inauguration

Chinese historical drama film Wheat opens the festival, while Konkani film Paltadacho Munis (The Man Beyond The Bridge) opens the Indian Panorama section.

A Peep at the Statues of Marina...

It is reported that the government has agreed to merge the Northern and Eastern Provinces that were merged in 1987, without any referendum, merely on pressure from India and were later de-merged on a court order in 2006. In 1987 the two provinces were merged by the then UNP government stating a referendum would be held later to decide whether to have them merged or not. However, this referendum was not held.

A question exists as to why the government was in a hurry to ask him to vacate the official residence when the Army Commander before him was allowed to reside at the official residence at Bullers Road for 3 months says former Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

He also said the former Commander of the Air Force Donald Perera too occupied the official residence several months after he retired.

However, he has already handed over the official residence of the Army Commander at Army Headquarters said Gen. Fonseka and said he is at present residing at General`s House at Bullers Road.

These are tumultuous times for media moguls in most parts of the world. In the terrible ad market large chunks of their revenues (and fortunes) have vaporized. One bright spot off the beaten track is found in Chennai, where Kalanithi Maran is India`s undisputed leader of regional broadcasting.

He has delivered soap operas, game shows and movies to viewers south of the Vindhyas, a mountain range in central India, that other big broadcasters had overlooked initially

The number of India`s billionaires almost doubled to 52 this year. This is just one short of the billionaire count during the stock market boom of 2007, according to the Forbes India Rich List. Last year, the country had 27 billionaires.

Topping the list of the wealthiest is Reliance Industries` Mukesh Ambani. His net worth at $32 billion is up 54 per cent from nearly $21 billion last year. This, despite the 66 per cent pay-cut he volunteered to take recently, a Forbes note said.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said today that the surge in foreign institutional investor (FII) inflow is not a matter of concern, and measures will be taken to counter any `distortions` that emerge.

`It is not a matter of concern - we have a system of monitoring. Whenever we find that there are some distortions we have the arrangement to counter it therefore, it is not disturbing,` Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of Union Bank event.

FIIs have put in over Rs71,900 crore so far this year in the country`s bourses, the highest ever investment made in rupee terms in a single year. The huge inflow has led to the appreciation of the rupee.

Hailed as a hero for ending decades of civil war, Sri Lanka`s most decorated general now looks set to challenge for the presidency.

after apparently being sidelined into a largely ceremonial role because of what he says were fears he would lead a coup, Fonseka resigned and now looks sure to challenge his former political masters at the ballot box. `He is certainly entering politics. It is an irreversible process for him now,` Sumanasiri Liyanage, a political science professor at the University of Peradeniya, told AFP

Chandrasiri Bandara, the nation`s most popular astrologer, looked at his birth chart and predicted that he would soon be assassinated

Bandara, 48, fears for his life because of a string of death threats that followed his bold forecast that Sri Lanka`s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, would be booted from office or killed. Bandara was charged with being a threat to national security and jailed for nine days for his premonition this summer.

Even astrologers have horoscopes,` said Bandara, who has his own Web site and writes a column for an opposition newspaper. `Mine does not show a long life. Until 2012 there is a chance of someone in the government killing me

Defence Ministry informs Sarath Fonseka that he has to vacate official bungalow in Colombo as he is no longer serving in the Army

Disgraced `conqueror of East` Gen. Parakrama Pannipitiya who was dismissed on treasure hunt swindling charges by Sarath Fonseka is re-instated & restored to grace

Sarath Fonseka son in law Dhanuka`s brother assaulted in club brawl by bodyguards of Gen Shavendra Silva. Police refuse to record complaint

However Gen. Fonseka`s name had emerged in the talks, and Wickremesinghe was to say that de-mining was an issue before re-settlement, and that Gen. Fonseka had wanted more soldiers to be trained in de-mining to expedite the re-settlement process, and that these soldiers could be sent to other world hot-spots on de-mining exercises. He was expected to make a public announcement at a rally at Gampaha yesterday (Saturday) on this matter.

Whether Wickremesinghe`s visit was to get India`s `blessings` for the Joint Opposition, or not, it is significant that Gen. Fonseka`s resignation came only after Wickremesinghe`s visit to India. This is whilst a three-member delegation comprising Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa are still awaiting a date from the Indian Government for a visit to New Delhi.

Sarath Fonseka charges Rajapakse Govt of not having a clear policy to win the hearts & minds of the Tamil people despite the army winning war

peace

Sarath Fonseka tells president in letter that Govt is yet to win the peace though the army under his (SF) leadership won the war against LTTE

transformation!

Sarath Fonseka NOW says in letter to president that `The plight of the IDPs is also a point of great concern to me`.What a transformation!

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday accepted Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka`s resignation letter. Accordingly, Gen. Fonseka will cease to be CDS with effect from Dec. 01, 2009.

Gen. Fonseka informed the President of his desire to resign at a one-to-one meeting on Wednesday, where they were expected to iron out their differences. Cordial as the meeting was, President Rajapaksa said he had no objections to Gen. Fonseka`s resignation or his decision to enter politics. `I have instructed my Secretary to accept you resignation letter immediately, should you tender it,` the President told Gen. Fonseka.

business tycoon in a people`s car

For purely city travel in a car, it probably does not get better than Nano with its micro size and fuel efficiency. And, when you throw in a ridiculously low starting price, you know why the car attracted international media attention of a scale unprecedented in Indian automobile history. The Nano is expected to be lapped up by Indian families hoping to graduate from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler, but the car has gone beyond expectations. It has travelled into the hearts of even auto buffs whose primary considerations while buying a car are not price and fuel efficiency.

Wary of the Chinese practice of using state-controlled media to air provocative views, India on Tuesday described as a `bit silly` a Chinese daily`s comment that India had not learnt its lessons from 1962 war. `Such language` will not help bilateral ties, India underlined.

India`s reaction came on a day China voiced its `strong dissatisfaction` and accused India of `disregarding the solemn position of China` in allowing Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims to be part of what it calls `south Tibet.`